No
one had heard about what had happened on the journey because none of the
market people had arrived home yet--only Omenuko and his remaining load-bearers,
the ones he had not sold and had brought back with him. No one had heard
that all his belongings had been lost in the river. Likewise, no
one knew what had happened to his load-bearers and his apprentices.

Since
no one had heard about those events, he summoned his younger brother, the
one born next to last, and instructed him to go to the houses of the chiefs
of our town and to the houses of the others, the parents of all those young
people, his apprentices and his load-bearers, and tell them that he, Omenuko,
was inviting them early the next morning so that he could relate to them
why he had returned when other traders had not yet returned. He then told
his brother to tell them that it would not be wise to let anything to prevent
their coming early that morning, because "the toad does not run in the
afternoon for nothing."

His brother went quickly and told them all that he was told to say. But
some of the people who had been given this message were impatient and they
got up during the night in order to see Omenuko before dawn, so that perhaps
he might tell them the meaning of this that very night. When they entered
his house, they gave him "welcome back" greetings and he acknowledged them
cordially. They then told him that his return had alarmed people. He replied
that he himself definitely would set out the next afternoon after he finished
seeing people he wanted to see, because his load-bearers were still at
Bende, they and his young apprentices. After he finished speaking, he said,
"Please, go home tonight because I am very tired." They then went home.
After they had left, he murmured, "Those who run to a fight do not know
that fighting means death."

After all
this was over, Omenuko called his next younger brother, whose name was
Okorafo, and also called the next one, Nwabueze. He did not call the youngest
one because he was too small. He posed some questions to these two brothers,
saying, "Suppose that I had sold those apprentices of mine, and my load-bearers--what
would be my situation in this world?" They replied that something like
this would be very unwelcome news. Then he started to relate to his brothers
what had happened to him on the road, how all of his goods, his people,
and he himself had climbed onto the tree trunk, and how that river, the
Igwu, had broken off the ropes that fastened the tree trunk. They had all
then fallen into the river and since God in Heaven saved everyone, no one
drowned, but all of his goods had been lost. Their ancestors and God in
Heaven had saved his life, but death would have been better. He went
on to say, "On account of this, death is better than life to me just now,
and I will surely die. Therefore, you both must start looking for your
own salvation [from the townspeople's anger], because for my part I am
prepared to die." His brothers then asked him, "Are you going to kill yourself?"
He replied, "Yes, go and see after your own lives." Then they told him
that what he had done was no small thing, the way he hardheartedly sold
out his people because all his goods had fallen into the river. They asked
him, "Was there some person who did you this evil?" He replied, "No one
did it to me." He then told his brothers to look for their own salvation,
because he himself was thinking about another catastrophe which would be
worse than selling out those young people. His brothers kept on questioning
him without stopping.

Then
he told them that he had issued an invitation to the chiefs to come early
the next morning, and that what he planned was for himself and the chiefs
and the fathers of the children he had sold to die all at the same time,
by lighting a fire in two containers of gunpowder and placing them under
his loincloth, and then he himself would die, he and all those others.
This was why he was urging them so strongly to seek their own salvation.
His brothers then cried out in low voices what they should have cried out
in loud voices. They told him "No." They shook their heads and said, "Don't
do this, even though what you did in selling those young people is a deed
that will never end until the world ends--do you want to commit another?
No, instead, join us in running away. This would be the best thing for
us, because what you did will be remembered forever. This is what our grandfathers
described as something grandchildren grow up to deal with. This means that
our children will suffer because of it; and our children's children will
also suffer as well."

Because
of these things that Omenuko's brothers told him, they changed his mind.
They all then consulted together. He and his brothers discussed among themselves
the idea of running away to another village called Ndi Mgborogwu. If anyone
found that he had done something bad that made it impossible for him to
live in our village, that person would run away to another village called
Ndi Mgborogwu. Also, if a person coming from Ndi Mgborogwu did something
very bad, he would be sure to run away to our village. This is something
that began so long ago that I cannot say what caused it or brought it on.
A thing like this is what the people of our village call "reciprocity."
That is why the people of our village and the Mgborogwu people still honor
the reciprocity arrangement.

So
they agreed that they would run away to the house of the chief of that
land. His name was Mgborogwu. They went to sleep that night, and when day
dawned, those chiefs who had been summoned arrived. Omenuko brought them
water so they could wash their faces and hands. After they finished washing
their hands and faces, he presented kola nut and a bowl of sauce, then
said to them, "It is a very sad thing to relate to you that all of my goods
have been lost in the Igwu river." He then explained to them how his possessions
were lost, and he told the chiefs that he would surely return to Ezi Nnachi
to join the people of that town to search thoroughly for his possessions
and find out if God in Heaven would help in getting back at least his gun,
because the river would not be very high at that time. He also told them
that he would not fail to return home soon, and at that time, the children
whom Mr. Oji said should wait until he could give them a few things that
Omenuko could fall back on would also reach Ezi Nnachi and those children
could help in searching for his possessions.

At
that time, everyone felt sorry for him because of losing his belongings
in the river.

The
chiefs then went home, and he called his brothers again and asked them,
"When is the escape going to start--today or tomorrow?" They told him,
"It will take place tonight." Their sister came too, concerned about her
brother's loss. They then told her the story of what had happened
on the trip. She was deeply sorry. They also told her that another consequence
was their having to escape to another town. They told their sister that
she must join them in fleeing. She agreed at once because she saw that
what her brother had done was not a thing that would be forgotten. They
then said that each one should take the things that were important to him,
and they got ready, waiting for nightfall.